Influence conditions on the process of iron reduction in technogenic water objects

We present result of our study biological iron reduction by the benthic microbial community in an industrial waste channel near the city of Togliatti. The biological iron reduction was found to be more intensive in the mixing zone, where waste water flow mixes with unpolluted water from Kuybyshev Reservoir, compared to the undiluted waste flow. Intensity of the iron reduction depends on the pollutants concentrations in water. As the waste flow is diluted, concentrations of pollutants decrease, and intensity of the iron reduction increases. The overall activity of the iron reducing microorganisms in the industrial waste ecosystems is higher than the similar activity in natural ecosystems. We explain this increased activity with more diversified microbial community. Some other microbial trophic groups, including hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria, can take part in the process of the biological iron reduction.